How She-Crabby Was Born: A Story of Second Chances, Resilience, and Really Good Soup

In 2013, I got sober. I was searching for something steady — a place and a purpose that felt like home. After a few jobs and a lot of soul-searching, I found my work family at Tarrant’s West in 2015, starting as the catering manager. I didn’t know it then, but this would be the beginning of something much bigger — in more ways than one.

When I first started at Tarrant’s, Liz and I definitely butted heads. We’re both strong-willed, passionate — and let’s be honest — we can both be a little crabby. But over time, we realized that our differences actually made us stronger. Liz, who owns the restaurant, and I eventually found a rhythm — one built on mutual respect and a shared love of good food and hard work. Now, we’re true partners — and She-Crabby wouldn’t exist without the two of us bringing our grit (and a little sass) to the table.

Over the next few years, I moved into the front-of-house manager role, and in 2020, I was promoted to General Manager. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I even met my husband at Tarrant’s West — proof that when you’re exactly where you’re meant to be, the right people find you.

Then the world changed.
Like so many in hospitality, we were hit hard by the pandemic. But we pushed through — adapting, surviving, doing whatever it took to keep the doors open and our team together.

In 2022, I attended FAB — the Women in Business Conference in Charleston, SC. During one of the sessions, we were asked a question that stopped me in my tracks: “What’s your boop?” In other words, what’s that thing people keep coming back for?

For us at Tarrant’s, the answer was instant and unanimous: She-Crab Soup.
It’s always been our #1 seller. Locals swear by it. Visitors make special trips for it. And suddenly, the idea hit me: Why should you have to sit down at a restaurant to enjoy it? What if you could bring that same flavor home?

That’s where She-Crabby began.
From perfecting the recipe for packaging, to teaming up with a local design firm (shoutout to Campfire!) for our bold, coastal-inspired branding, to checking every box for food safety and seafood sustainability — we did it. We launched both our classic recipe and a gluten-free version, and started sampling it everywhere from grocery demos to farmers markets.

The response? Incredible.
People light up when they taste it. Some say it reminds them of vacations by the coast. Others say it just tastes like home. Either way, it fuels my fire to grow this brand far and wide.

Because She-Crabby isn’t just soup to me. It’s the thing that helped me rediscover my purpose. It’s the way I get to build something lasting — something that lets me dream bigger, work smarter, and finally (hopefully!) spend holidays with my family instead of running a dining room.

So whether you’re a local, a first-timer, or just craving that rich, coastal flavor — know that every plastic container of She-Crabby is more than a recipe. It’s a comeback story. It’s a team effort. And yes — sometimes, it’s a little crabby. But it’s made with love.

-Brittany Kelly